The Titanic in Southampton: a visit to the SeaCity museum

Last week I found myself in Southampton for the day (as you do). My first thought was that I must go to the Tudor House (as some of you might know, I love history - and especially the 16th Century). Unfortunately, this is closed on Fridays - and of course that's the day I was there. So, I moved onto plan B, to find out about the Titanic, and it was a good decision...

[caption id="attachment_4533" align="alignnone" width="1200"] This is the Tudor House - it certainly looked lovely from the outside![/caption]

Instead of the Tudor house (which I did visit to see it from the outside), I went to the lovely SeaCity Museum, which is a real gem of a place. It has a number of permanent exhibits as well as a little shop and lovely cafe. Helpfully, it also has lockers for large bags (you have to pay for these, but mine only cost a few pounds).

The exhibit which caught my attention, and which I spent a lovely hour and a half or so being fascinated by, was one on the Titanic. This was extremely well done, educational, interactive and sad. Plus, it was definitely worth the £8.50 entrance fee (£6 for kids).

The Titanic set off from Southampton

Although you may associate the Titanic with Belfast, it actually set off from Southampton. This means that many of those who worked on the ship lived in the Southampton area. In fact almost 409 of the ships crew lived in Chapel and Northam, two of the poorest distracts in Southampton, and of the 897 crew members, three quarters were living in Southampton in the days before the ship set sail.

Bringing the people to life

The exhibition is very good at personalising the experience. It gives you background of a number of those who were on the "unsinkable" ship, from the second officer, Charles Herbert Lightoller, to the first class Stewardesss Mabel Bennett, who was only 30 then, but already a widow, with a young daughter she had to leave behind (of course, she was paid less then than the male stewards). You don't know what happened to all these people until near the end, by which time you have built up a relationship with them. It's very clever.

Life in Southampton in 1912

The exhibit begins with an explanation of what it was like in Southampton at that time - the divide between rich and poor, the ongoing strikes and the numbers of unemployed (17,000 in April 1912). Many of the locals had never been to sea before, but were very happy about the opportunities that the Titanic brought.

You then walk across a bridge as if you are walking onto the Titanic - and there's sound effects to make it all sound that much more realistic.

[caption id="attachment_4535" align="alignnone" width="1200"] A carved wooden panel from the top of the Olympic ship's grand staircase - the Titanic had one just like it[/caption]

There are clothes to try on and people to find out about, as well as letters from those on the ship and details of all the provisions on board. There is also a beautiful recreation of what the grand staircase looked like - just like the film in fact!

You learn about lots of little details (first class passengers had use of a lift to go from deck to deck) and can also try out shovelling coal (hard work - I was not very good!) and steering the ship.

Tragedy struck

[caption id="attachment_4536" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Steward Sidney Sedunary was carrying this watch in this pocket - it's stopped at 1.50, about half an hour before the Titanic sinks. His watch was recovered when his body was found.[/caption]

It was just before midnight on April 14 1912 that the Titanic struck the iceberg. No one was prepared for what followed - and more than 1500 people died when the ship sank, in less than three hours.

The exhibition is particularly good at giving you an idea of what happened and the scale of the deaths. There is a room where you can sit and listen to the audio of those who survived and it's very moving. For example, you hear Eva Hart, who was then 7, say of her father: "He told me to hold my mummy's hand and be a good girl and that was it. I never saw him again."

After being "on" the ship, you go into a courtroom where you can listen to the voices of actors recreating the hearing into what happened and some of the experts asking questions. Some of these questions and answers are shocking - the lookout man saying there were no binoculars on board, and that if there had been he could have seen the iceberg earlier and the ship could have got out of the way. There were also no searchlights. There are newspapers from the time to look at and telegrams giving both good and bad news "regret, not saved," one widow is told.

[caption id="attachment_4537" align="alignnone" width="1200"] This map contains red dots which mark the address of a member of the Titanic's crew who was lost when the ship sank[/caption]

The exhibit is extremely good and definitely captured the interest of both adults and children making their way around it. I felt it gave a different view on what happened on the Titanic and made it personal and extremely moving. I went round more slowly than if I had been with a young child, but the children I saw did seem engaged in it all, especially the interactive parts.

More Southampton history

SeaCity has more than this exhibit though - there is one on Southampton as a Gateway to the World, which gives you background on the many people who have come to the area from all over the world (this is excellent) and another on Southampton's Stories, which showcases different topics such as work, pastimes and working life. It's a lovely museum, very hands-on, and I would recommend it wholeheartedly.

The SeaCity museum is located right near the historic clock tower, Havelock Road, Southampton, SO14 7FY. Its the BBC South studios.

It's open 10-5pm seven days a week and costs £8.50 per adult, or £25 for a family ticket - two adults and up to three children.

More English Cities:

What to do in Norwich (by all of us).

Beautiful Lincoln

A football trip to Manchester

Dorset Adventure Park and Corfe Castle in Dorset

[caption id="attachment_4483" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Sarah in front of Corfe Castle[/caption]

We recently went on holiday to Dorset (a long blog post is on its way!). Here is one of the days which my son, Robert, who's 14, enjoyed the most and which he would highly recommend. It begins with Corfe Castle.

As regular readers of this blog will know, I am a history buff and love castles. Corfe Castle (a National Trust Property), which is located on the Isle of Purbeck, between Wareham and Swanage, is spectacular! It was built by William the Conquerer and has a long, magnificent history, not least the story of how the Royalists in the castle tried to hold out against the Roundheads during the English Civil War of the 17th century.

Corfe Castle is also the name of the very pretty village in which the castle is located and it's gorgeous to walk around - and to have an ice-cream or cream tea (or both!).

Let Robert tell you more:

Corfe Castle

Corfe Castle, or the ruins of Corfe castle, is a great place to go. Not only is it visually stunning, with great views of the architecture from the bottom of the hill and great views of the surrounding area on top – it is also a historic landmark with lots of boards to read and find out about what happened at the castle.

There are also lots of activities for kids of all ages.

[caption id="attachment_4484" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Robert helps to hold up the ruins![/caption]

Dorset Adventure Park

After our visit to Corfe Castle, we moved onto Dorset Adventure Park, which is only about 5 minutes away. Our hour in the water there felt much longer – it was one of the most fun activities of the holiday and Mum and Dad really enjoyed it as well, even though they were in the water for most of it!

Once kitted in our wetsuits and life jackets we walked to the first lake, called Castle Lake, because you can see Corfe Castle from the water, where we spent half an hour running, jumping and falling off obstacles. There were narrow poles to climb over, large hills to climb, and trampolines and other singular obstacles floating in the water. Everything is inflatable and if you fall off you have to swim to nearest entry point or attempt to climb back on where someone pulls you up by the life jacket. After Mum and Dad fell off multiple times before clearing the first obstacle I ended my fits of laughter and ran off on my own.

The next lake, the Woodland Lake, was even better – it had air bags, monkey bars and bigger slides, to name a few. There was also a tightrope with ropes to cling onto hovering above the water which I attempted many times but could not clear the third. At least I attempted it though, unlike my Mum and Dad!

[caption id="attachment_4485" align="alignnone" width="1200"] You can just see the Castle Lake and inflatables in this picture - in front of Corfe Castle[/caption]

There were about 10-15 obstacles or so in each lake and it never got boring.

If going with someone other than your parents you could race around the track or if you are really courageous you could hold battles where you try to push off your opponents.

The Adventure park was great to visit although it only takes up about two hours of your day. Corfe Castle was just a few minutes away so you could create a nice day out visiting the two.

We don't have any great pics of the water park because we had to put away our clothes and phone/camera!

[caption id="attachment_4486" align="alignnone" width="1200"] The castle ruins are really spectacular[/caption]

Need to know:

Corfe Castle is a National Trust property, and so free for National Trust members. Otherwise it has different costs for peak and off-peak times. The summer is peak time and it costs £10 for adults, £5 for children or £25 for a family ticket.

There are loads of activities over the summer for families, so do check out their website.

Dorset Adventure Park is open every day in the school holiday and costs £15 a person. You can also hire wetsuits and shoes, or bring your own.

Disclosure: We received free entry into Dorset Adventure Park in order to write about it. However, all the opinions in this blog post are our own and no one else had any input into them.

For more about Dorset, see the Visit Dorset website

Don't miss our post on what to do in Dorset - also written by Robert!

Read more:

A great day out at Thorpe Park (by Robert)

Cakes, a castle and cathedral, what to do in Lincoln

A visit to majestic Casa Loma, in Toronto

Manchester United and Manchester City - a football trip to Manchester

Robert, who's 12 writes:

Our family loves football so I was super excited when I found out that mum and I were going on holiday all about it. We travelled by train to Manchester where we checked in to Hotel Football. The hotel was really cool as so many things were to do with footie, from the wallpaper to the pillows to the astro turf pitch on the top floor. It is also owned by ex Man Utd players. Our room was really nice. It had an incredible view of Old Trafford, really comfy beds and a complimentary mini-bar that got re-stocked every day. What more could you want?!

[caption id="attachment_4406" align="alignnone" width="1200"] View of Old Trafford from our room at Hotel Football[/caption]

On our first day in Manchester we went on a tour of Old Trafford, Manchester United’s stadium. Before the tour we spent some time in the Man Utd museum which was filled with information about the club and loads of cool objects to see. There were football boots, medals, kits and even the official Carabao Cup which United won last season.

[caption id="attachment_4407" align="alignnone" width="1200"] The pitch at Old Trafford[/caption]

The tour was brilliant! We started off by walking around the empty stadium and learning about its history. We then got to enter the Manchester United changing room where all the players would get ready. The shirts were on the wall next to where the player would sit and it was really cool to imagine that only a few days later footballing superstars like Pogba or De Gea would be sitting there. We also looked into the away dressing room which was nowhere near as fancy. This time the walls were lined with the shirts of the greatest footabllers who had players at Old Trafford including Messi, Ronaldo and David Beckham.

[caption id="attachment_4408" align="alignnone" width="1200"] The Home changing room at Old Trafford[/caption]

We then learnt more about what the players did before a game and re-enacted what players would do in the tunnel. I was the captain of my team so shook hands with my opponent before my teammates did the same. Music then started blaring and we walked down the astro onto the pitch that soon would be filled with 75,000 people. It was awesome! We then got to sit in the managers chairs before finishing the tour with a trip to the shop and some cool, free certificates.

[caption id="attachment_4409" align="alignnone" width="1200"] In the away changing room at Old Trafford[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4410" align="alignnone" width="1200"] This letter to George Best's father was on display in the Man Utd museum[/caption]

The next day we went to the Football Museum, which was one of the best, if not the best, museums I’ve ever been to. The first floor was full of history and talked about how the game has evolved to what it is today. There were sections on stadiums, fans, media and of course the great legends and record-breakers of football. Throughout all the information boards and things to look at there were also loads of interactive things to do. There were games, quizzes, a chance to be a commentator and loads more. I especially liked the board that showed where your club had come every season for the last 200 years. I loved the first floor, yet the second was somehow even better.

[caption id="attachment_4411" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Robert became a commentator at the National Football Museum[/caption]

The second floor focused on kits, managers and the rules of the game and it was a lot more hands on.There was a section where you could be a football referee and another where you had a penalty shootout against a projected keeper. There were times when you had to kick a ball at flashing lights on the floor or to try and hit targets worth different amounts of points on the wall. There was so much to do! There were also lots of old fashioned sports games on this floor as well, which you had insert old pennies for; they were really cool.

[caption id="attachment_4412" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Stanley Matthew memorabilia at the National Football Museum[/caption]

The third floor is an exhibition so it is always changing. The exhibition we saw was all about Brazilian legend Pele and I really enjoyed it. However a new exhibition about England’s 1966 world cup victory will be opening soon.

[caption id="attachment_4413" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Manchester City's home changing room (much, much bigger than the away one!)[/caption]

Finally, mum and I travelled to the Etihad, Manchester City's ground. The stadium was much fancier with heated seats for rich people and a restaurant where you could see the tunnel, for even richer people. This tour was more focused on Manchester City as a business instead of a club, although it was still really fun. Once again I enjoyed going into the incredible changing room and was surprised at how bad the away one was. Our tour guide told us about all the tricks Man City did to annoy the opposing team and we got to walk out the tunnel and sit on the manager seats like Old Trafford. Personally I found the Old Trafford tour much more interesting but maybe that is just because I did it first.

Overall I had a brilliant time in Manchester. I loved visiting the stadiums which I see on the TV and will remember the Football Museum for years to come.

Disclosure: We were helped in our trip by Visit Manchester and our stay at Hotel Football was free. However, neither Visit Manchester, nor any of the places we visited had any input into this piece.

Read about our trip to St George's Park, where England's footballers train!

A magical time at The Alchemist, Manchester

[caption id="attachment_4359" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Us with our delicious desserts[/caption]

We have gone to a lot of cool places to eat – particularly in London (see Jess’s piece on Five Cool Places to Eat in London here), and more recently on our trip to Toronto. Now we have another place in the UK, but up north!

Robert and I recently went to Manchester (more on that soon) and while we were there we not only had a meal at Cafe Football (lots of burgers and milkshakes) but also at The Alchemist by Media City.

We weren’t sure what this restaurant would be like, but we definitely liked the name and the suggestion that some alchemy would be going on inside! We weren’t left disappointed.

The Alchemist has a trendy vibe, but actually we were warmly welcomed (we aren’t that trendy!) and all the staff were extremely friendly. The menu has a lovely range of food, all reasonably priced, and we ordered a variety of items, including snacks - sweet and salty seaweed popcorn and crispy kale (both extremely yummy) and a starter of cheese nachos (which Robert wolfed down!)

For our mains, we chose a fish finger sandwich and a vegetable burrito (which I thought were pretty good value, at £9 each) and we both had our own delicious dessert – waffles with ice-cream for Robert and chocolate brownie with ice-cream and salted caramel sauce for me (so lovely).

But while the food was good, the exciting part of the Alchemist is its wonderful drinks menu, which is full of marvellous potions and even looks amazing on paper! The choice of cocktails was so immense, it took me ages to decide what to have. But it’s not only that they sound so tempting, they also involve magic – drinks which bubble up, or change colour, ones which require test tubes to be used to put them together, and ones which just sound amazing (Bounty, peaches and cream, Mint Aero!). Eventually I chose a screwball, made up of Absolut Raspberry, Briottet Blue Curacao, bubblegum, apple lime and white chocolate cream foam. It came (naturally) with a cherry on top and was utterly delicious.

[caption id="attachment_4362" align="alignnone" width="1200"] My delicious cocktail![/caption]

There are also mocktails on offer and I felt obliged to give Robert the chance to try two. The first he picked was Mango shake, made up of white chocolate cream foam, orange, apple, lemon, mango and passionfruit. He liked it, but wasn’t overwhelmed. The second, however, was a huge hit Bubbleygum is made up of bubblegum, apple, cranberry, lime and bubbles, and it frothed over the glass continuously.

Meanwhile two ladies behind us had chosen something which looked as if it should have been in a lab, involving smoke (and shrieks of delight).

All in all we had such a lovely evening and would really recommend a visit, although the cocktails are not cheap (mine was £8.50 and the mocktails are £4.50). It’s not really a specific place to eat for kids, but there are things that will appeal to them, and if you have a range of ages in your family, this place will go down very well. I have already checked that there is a branch in London (there is) so I can try another cocktail – this time going with my husband - while there are also other restaurants in Manchester, as well as Liverpool, Leeds, Chester, Newcastle and Birmingham. Cheers!

 

Puffins in Pembrokeshire

[caption id="attachment_4147" align="alignnone" width="1200"] There were puffins nesting on the island![/caption]

Our holiday to Pembrokeshire was wonderful for many reasons – for the natural beauty of the countryside, for the fact that we actually got to relax, because everyone we met was lovely and because of all the brilliant things we did (from visiting Pembroke Castle to climbing trees at Heatherton World of Activities). But it was also brilliant because of the puffins.

When I found out that I would be able to see puffins if I visited this part of Wales, I knew I had to go. I love seeing animals in their natural habitat and, having walked along Horsey beach in Norfolk last year and been overwhelmed by the beautiful seals there, I was very taken by the idea of  seeing puffins for the first time too.

So, we were lucky enough that the concierge service offered by Coastal Cottages, who organised our lovely cottage in Little Haven, included a trip by thousand Island Cruises to Skomer and Ramsey Islands where we would see puffins, guillemots, kittiwakes, Manx shearwater and all sorts of other birds too. Plus, we saw some Atlantic grey seals sunbathing around Ramsey Island too.

We caught our boat near St David’s – the smallest city in the UK which is absolutely gorgeous. If you go, leave time to mooch around here and visit the cathedral - at the St Justinian’s Life Boat station. This is a fair walk away from the centre of St David’s and we drove to a nearby car park, and then walked to the life boat station. There are a number of steps on the way, so it’s probably not suitable for small children or those who aren't very mobile.

We were given warm, thick waterproofs to wear, and although it was grey on the way out, the sun did appear and I (who am always neurotic about sunscreen) did get burned. So, another warning, wear lots of sunscreen!

[caption id="attachment_4149" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Robert on the boat![/caption]

I’m not a great fan of boats, but the puffins were a real lure for me, so we soon set off and I admired the scenery as we zipped along. We saw some birds on the way and the occasional seal too, but it wasn’t until we neared Skomer that it got really exciting! There we saw hundreds and hundreds of birds, including those gorgeous puffins, blanketing the sea and the cliffs. It was a truly amazing sight.

Skomer is the largest of Pembrokeshire’s islands and only around a mile off the coast. It’s home to a huge variety of wildlife. We did not disembark to look around, but we could still see so many nesting seabirds – particularly guillemots and razorbills lining the cliff ledges. Along with neighbouring Skokholm Island it is the largest breeding puffin colony in Southern Britain.

[caption id="attachment_4146" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Birds near Skomer Island in Pembrokeshire[/caption]

Our guide pointed out the birds we could see and told us about them too which was great as we aren’t really that knowledgeable. I found it all absolutely fantastic – and not like anything I’d ever seen before.

The engine of the boat was turned off so as not to frighten away the wildlife, and we stayed there for around 15 minutes or so. Then we turned round to go back to the coast, but we drove around Ramsey Island which is beautiful, and looked into the caves.

[caption id="attachment_4145" align="alignnone" width="1200"] birds flying around and on Skomer Island[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_4150" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Puffins on the water around Skomer island[/caption]

As a non-boat lover, I found the bumpy journey back a bit hairy – although my son loved it! But I wouldn’t have missed the trip for anything. It was an absolute highlight of our holiday.

[caption id="attachment_4151" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Ramsey Island,[/caption]

Disclosure: Our trip with Thousand Island Expeditions was arranged through Coastal Cottages’ concierge services. It would have cost £48 per adult and £20 per child, but were given it on a complimentary basis in order to write about it. However, neither company had any input into this blog post.

More fun in Pembrokeshire:

Read an overview of our fabulous holiday in Pembrokeshire

A trip to Folly Farm

Read what Robert thought of Heatherton World of Activities

Pembroke Castle (a must-visit!)

Folly Farm: a great day out in Wales

Robert, who's 12, writes:

We went to Folly Farm on our last day in Pembrokeshire, and believe me – it didn’t disappoint. I would describe Folly Farm as a zoo, farm and a funfair mixed into one which happens to be a very good combination. 

First we explored an area filled with glass boxes and these were filled with all sorts of awesome creatures. There were tarantulas, bats, (incredibly cute) tortoises and mum’s personal favourite: the two-toed sloths. I really enjoyed looking at all the animals, especially the parrots that flew about, it was really cool.  

Outside that area I loved seeing the penguins, lions, zebras and rhinos and was fascinated by the towering giraffes. There was also an enclosure filled with colourful birds. I had lots of fun, looking around and trying to spot particular birds from the posters. 

Although seeing all the animals listed above, and lots more, that wasn’t what attracted me to come to Folly Farm. It was the vintage fairground. This indoor fairground was stuffed with machines where you put in a coin and could either win or lose money, although it was usually the latter. The machines were so much fun and made you feel great when you won.

There were also other old-fashioned  machines that tested your strength or told you what type of lover you are!? On top of that, there were also the (overpriced) stalls in which you had to complete a seemingly easy task in order to win a prize. Although it was fun and we all had a laugh, it does cost money as you will keep trying to win!

[caption id="attachment_4074" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Enjoying a ride[/caption]

In terms of rides there was a good variety. There were classics like the carousel, waltzer or dodgems as well as a classically non-spooky ghost train and a classically awesome chair-o-plane where you sit in a chair and swing about. The caterpillar was my favourite as it was the fastest and I personally found it the most exciting. There were a load of other rides as well but we didn’t have enough time to go on them and they were mainly for little kids. 



I ended the day by going racing. I got into my car and sped round the track personally enjoying it more than all the rides at the fairground, apart from the chair-o-plane and caterpillar. Overall I had a really fun day and would definitely recommend going to families with young kids.

[caption id="attachment_4075" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Robert loved the driving![/caption]

If you do have younger children, there is also a petting farm, and soft play too. It is a great place to spend time, rain or shine, as there are both indoor and outdoor activities.

Disclosure: We went to Pembrokeshire and stayed with Coastal Cottages on a complimentary basis, in Little Haven (you can read about that here). Our visit to Folly Farm was arranged for us as part of Coastal Cottage's concierge service. You can find out more about that here. Neither Folly Farm, nor Coastal Cottages had any hand in this blog post.

Folly Farm costs £13.95 per adult and £11.95 for children aged 3-15. An annual pass for an adult is £45 and £40 for a child.

Read about our week in Pembrokeshire (we loved it!)

Read what Robert thought of Heatherton World of Activities

Cybermen in Cardiff: visiting the Dr Who Experience

[caption id="attachment_4030" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Robert at the Dr Who experience in Cardiff[/caption]

Robert, who's 12, writes:

We went to Cardiff especially to see the Dr Who Experience – as I’m a big Dr Who fan. Let me tell you what it was like...

The Doctor Who Experience is made up of two parts, and the first is an interactive experience where you have to help the Doctor escape from a giant time-distorting octopus. We started by getting our passes that allowed us to enter “the Gallifrey Museum”. These passes changed colour and vibrated throughout the experience which was really cool and made you feel part of the story. After entering the museum we watched a live feed of the Tardis in which, coincidentally, the giant octopus attacked. We were hurried out of the room by our tour-guide and made our way into section. After a video call from the Doctor himself and an interactive “ride” where we controlled the Tardis, our group travelled through time to help save the Doctor. We met up with some classic Doctor Who villains along the way, some of the rooms were incredibly designed and the whole thing was very exciting. However, the guide who took us through was very unenergetic and seemed quite bored by the whole thing, which was a real shame.

[caption id="attachment_4052" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Two versions of Davros![/caption]

After we had saved the universe, we entered a massive two-floor exhibition about Doctor Who. This held a number of Tardis from different series, and included the control panels, not just the blue police boxes.

The exhibition was also home to outfits from all series, including costumes used for the different Doctors, monsters and companions. There were even all the costumes from this current series and they were the real outfits they used in the show. There were plenty of other props and objects from the show’s history too, most with an information board telling you what the specific costume was. I liked it, and so did my parents as it went back over many years so it was very nostalgic for them!

[caption id="attachment_4053" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Cybermen through the ages[/caption]

Personally I really liked the section where it showed how the cyberman had evolved - it included different cybermen through the ages. You could also get into a dalek and pretend to be one.

[caption id="attachment_4027" align="alignnone" width="800"] Robert as a dalek[/caption]

There was also a green screen where you could get your photo taken in a Doctor Who scene which was cool (although not necessarily cool enough to spend money on!)

Overall I had a really fun day out. Personally, I enjoyed the exhibition more than the experience as it felt a bit childish and there was no real interaction. But I would still recommend it all to Dr Who fans. And there's a great shop at the end!

The Dr Who Experience is open until September 9th. Admission costs £14 per adult if booked online (£16 on the door), and £9.75 per child (£11.75 on the door). A family ticket is £41. You can find more information here.
We were given free admission in order to write about it but the Dr Who Experience had no input into this blog post at all.

 

More about Dr Who - the Dr Who Festival, by Daniel

Beautiful Pembrokeshire - perfect for a family trip

We absolutely loved our trip to beautiful Pembrokeshire in Wales, as there was so much to do and everyone was extremely friendly. We would 100 per cent recommend it for a family holiday. We didn't really want to come home - except to see Jess of course!

[kad_youtube url="https://youtu.be/WgKzbFb5B-s?list=PL21MnxVphOzI2A8wn1ejWBYSXpgwMIkGw" width=200 height=100 ]

 

Watch our video above for Robert's highlights

Where we stayed (by Robert):

[caption id="attachment_3978" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Our home for the week![/caption]

We stayed in one of the Talbenny Hall Cottages, called Sands Cottage, near Little Haven. Our cottage was comfortable, cosy, and warm and quiet, which was good. It had a bedroom with a double bed, a bedroom with a bunk bed, a bathroom with a shower, and a large living room/dining room with a kitchen. I liked the cottage but my room was quite small. I think that if Jess was in the room with me it wouldn't have been big enough to keep our stuff in!

I especially liked the hamper we were given on the first day, with cakes, fudge, biscuits, and more.

The cottage was very nice, but it wasn't close to many shops. This was fine, as we had a car.

Overall, I liked the cottage because it was homely.

Disclosure: We stayed in Sands Cottage, a Coastal Cottages property, which was great for a couple of family of three (Jessica wasn't with us!). We were given a complimentary stay, but Coastal Cottages had no input at all into this blog post. The prices for the cottage for half-term week at the end of May would normally be £629.

The beaches, by Sarah


[caption id="attachment_3979" align="alignnone" width="1200"] You can see Barafundle Bay just behind Robert![/caption]

One of the reasons I wanted to come to Pembrokeshire was because I had heard that it had the most glorious beaches. It was a very good reason – the beaches are wonderful. We spent a long time at two beaches in particular, Barafundle Bay and Marloes. They are both utterly beautiful and would wow anyone.

Barafundle was recently voted by Passport magazine as one of the top beaches in the world.It’s not the most accessible beach (but that’s part of its charm), although not good for visitors with very young children or in wheelchairs. You need to park at Stackpole Bay and walk over the cliffs – a fabulous walk – for around 15 minutes, before you come to the steps which lead down to the bay. When you first see the steps and the beach behind it, it will take your breath away. The sea is gorgeously blue and the expanse of sand is huge. Truly wonderful.Do note that there are no facilities at all on the beach, so bring your own food (and go to the loo beforehand!)

[caption id="attachment_3980" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Beautiful Marloes beach[/caption]

Marloes is also gorgeous, with lots of rock pools and a huge expanses of sand. Scenes from the Hollywood film Snow White and the Huntsman featuring Charlize Theron and Kristen Stewar were filmed here in 2011.

Heatherton World of Activities, by Brian

[caption id="attachment_3981" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Jumping through trees at Heatherton[/caption]

We came here mainly so Robert could go on the fantastic Tree Tops Adventure Trail, but Sarah and I also had a great time. The hedge maze was really fun – I completed it without cheating (unlike some other members of the family). We all loved the baseball/softball cages.  I tried baseball, and struggled to touch, never mind hit, the balls coming towards me at 60 mph. I then had a “water war” with Rob, and completely soaked him. We finished our day with a round of adventure golf. There was so much to do, and even though we had stayed over six hours, we really did not want to leave.

Read Robert’s detailed post on Heatherton here

Disclosure: Heatherton is free to enter, and you take part in activities by using credits. We were given a family book of credits to use while we were there, as well as a complimentary session of the Treetops Adventure Trail, which costs £27.50 and is for people aged 10 years upwards.There is also a junior course.

Pembroke Castle, by Brian

I have visited many different castles over my lifetime, but this one is probably the one that I have enjoyed the most. Gareth, a retired history teacher, was a fantastic guide and made the history come alive. The magnificent keep, the huge cave, and the dungeons were all incredible. There was a lot of walking up steps, but it was definitely worth it.

Read our detailed post on Pembroke Castle here.

A boat trip to see puffins, by Robert

[caption id="attachment_3983" align="alignnone" width="1200"] The boat which took us to see puffins and seals![/caption]

A part of the holiday which I really enjoyed was our puffin and seal boat trip which we took with Thousand Island Expeditions. This consisted of getting into a speed boat, sailing off into the sea, and spotting seals, puffins, and more. We also sailed up to Skomer Island which was very big and green. There were loads of birds and puffins - the most birds I'd ever seen in my life, which was really cool.

[caption id="attachment_3984" align="alignnone" width="1200"] It was amazing to see the puffins near Skomer Island[/caption]

It was really exciting going in the boat, and I loved going really fast. I especially loved when our boat seemed to jump above the water for a few seconds! The woman sailing the boat knew a lot about birds, and mum and dad found the facts she told us really interesting. We all really enjoyed it. I personally found the boat ride more exciting than the puffins, but I know that mum and dad would disagree...

St David’s, by Sarah

[caption id="attachment_3985" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Stunning St David's Cathedral[/caption]

We took the boat trip from the coast just by St David’s, which is the smallest city in the UK. It is chocolate box pretty and well worth a visit, even if it’s more like a village! The 12th century cathedral is a marvel – even if you don’t enter and walk around – and looks like something from a film set, while the Oriel y Parc Gallery often has beautiful displays. The main shopping throughfare gets very busy, but there is an abundance of small shops and eateries, including some really good ice-cream and chocolate shops. A short drive away you can take a boat to see puffins, seals and more.

Folly Farm

We all loved Folly Farm, which is a brilliant day out for families. Somehow it managed to appeal to the thrill-seeking Robert and also the nostalgia-seeking Sarah! Folly Farm calls itself an adventure park and zoo, and it has a lot of space for both. It’s clean and well set-up, with animals ranging from lions to penguins, meerkats to the most adorable sloth, as well as farm animals (which may appeal more to younger children, who will also like the soft play barn). There are also outside play areas and a range of old fashioned fairground rides, which we really loved (you need to pay for these by changing modern money into tokens). These have been painstakingly restored and are all under cover, which was lucky as it was raining when we arrived. I particularly loved the old fashioned arcade games, many of which are paid for by using 2ps and 10ps – we had to pull Robert away from trying again and again to win!



Folly Farm costs £13.95 for adults and £11.95 for kids. We were given free entry as arranged by Coastal Cottages as part of their wonderful concierge service. However, neither Coastal Cottages or Folly Farm had any input into this blog post.